Restaurant Review: Fiume, Battersea Power Station

Vicky Mayer heads to Fiume, one of the first restaurants to open at the Battersea Power Station development. Chef-patron Francesco Mazzei hopes his new venture will boast one of the liveliest riverside terraces in London, so how does it shape up?

It’s a wild and windy November night when we head down to the newly opened Fiume restaurant at the Battersea Power Station development. Like Mother and The Wright Brothers, Fiume is one of the first restaurants to open on this newly developed stretch of the river and like its competitors, it’s hoping that the area will soon be one of the most visited destinations in town.

Shining like a beacon in the dark, Fiume commands one of the best spots on the waterfront with lots of outside tables adjacent to the Power Station and overlooking the Thames that are bound to be in hot demand in the summer. Indeed ‘Fiume’ is Italian for river and chef-patron Francesco Mazzei believes his new venture will boast one of the liveliest terraces in London.

For now though, the lure of a warm restaurant and some great Italian food has got the SW London crowds heading to Fiume. Inside the atmosphere is buzzing and as we wait for a table we ease into the evening with an expertly mixed Negroni at the bar.

Fiume, Battersea Power Station

Fiume at Battersea Power Station is serving heart-warming Italian foo din a romantic environment

While Fiume boasts 120 covers it still manages to seat its guests so you feel as if you’re in a top class restaurant and not just a posh canteen. As you’d expect from Mr Mazzei, the menu offers his version of Italian classics but unlike many other Italian restaurants, each dish is exemplary and packed with flavour.

Sticking with the classics, we chose an unusual mixture of zucchini fritters and a billowy margarita pizza to start. The fitters were piping hot – like gorgeous salty vegetable chips. The pizza, fresh from the oven, hit the spot too and was so generous in size it could easily make a main course.

As you’d expect from Mr Mazzei, the menu offers his version of Italian classics and each dish is exemplary

Choosing between the pasta and meat dishes is always tough in an Italian restaurant (and of course, if you’re Italian, you’d go for both) but it was a cold night so we opted for the carbs. Two dishes of perfectly cooked crab and lemon tagliolini and burrata tortellini with hazelnuts, sage and black truffle arrived with flourish and each mouthful elicited cries of ‘this is the best pasta I have ever tasted’.

And for dessert? Well, who would say no to a mouthful of tiramisu? Like the savoury dishes, it was a dream dessert. Whether you’re a South West Londoner or just fancy checking out what’s happening at Battersea Power Station, I can’t recommend Fiume enough.